An extra hearty vegetarian (or not) soup that can serve as a one-dish meal, Ribollita is Italian peasant food. It’s a great way to use up stale bread and it provides plenty of nutrient-rich leafy greens. Ribollita is rich and satisfying and the beans provide all the protein you need.

It’s a two-step process, but well worth it. I like to cook dried beans from scratch, but if there was ever a recipe in which you could use canned beans without compromising the end dish, this is it.

Ribollita

Serves 6

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 bunch dinosaur kale, tough stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
4 cups shredded savoy cabbage
6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups drained, cooked runner cannellini beans
6 slices hearty, day-old bread, cut from a large loaf, about 1/2 inch thick
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a soup pot over medium heat, warm 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and carrot and sauté until soft and fragrant, but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and kale and cook, stirring, until well coated and beginning to wilt. Add the broth and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until the cabbage and kale are soft (about 45 minutes) The soup can be made up to this point 1 to 3 days ahead and refrigerated.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

With the soup at a slow simmer, add the beans. Cook for about 15 minutes to blend flavors. Taste and adjust seasonings. Line the bottom of a 3 or 4-quart Dutch oven or any ovenproof baking dish with 2 of the bread slices. Top with half the soup. Lay 2 more of the bread slices on top of the soup. Add the remaining soup and then remaining bread slices, pushing down on them to submerge them in the liquid. Drizzle the top evenly with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Top with the Parmesan cheese. Bake until the top is brown and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Spoon into warmed bowls and serve.

Recipe Copyright Vanessa Barrington 2009

Note: Use organic and local ingredients whenever possible.

Image: skinny diver

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I like to spend an hour or so on the weekends making soup for the week. It’s a meditative process that helps the entire week go more smoothly.

A little time invested means you will have soup to take to work for lunches and soup to enjoy for dinner on nights when you’ve worked late, gone to the gym, or simply don’t feel like cooking. This recipe is easy to double for a big batch. The great thing about a basic, pureed vegetable soup is that you can use this method and roughly these proportions to make any type of vegetable soup.

To customize, vary the broth according to your preference or diet, add cream or make it vegan, thicken it as described or not at all, garnish with fresh herbs, crème fraîche, yogurt, croutons, or anything you like. Add miso, lemon juice, or other aromatics like ginger. Once the vegetables are prepped, any soup of this sort is easy and quick to make. Seasonal variations include asparagus, artichokes, sweet peas, potatoes, zucchini, winter squash, sweet potatoes, celery root, parsnips, or any of the roots.

Easy Pureed Seasonal Vegetable Soup

Serves 4

2 to 2 1/2 pounds seasonal vegetables, prepped and cut into even pieces
4 to 5 cups broth or water
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1 large leek, sliced and rinsed well or 1/2 of an onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
4 to 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour (optional)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Dairy finish (if desired and to desired thickness)
Desired garnishes

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the broth to a simmer. In a large soup pot, over medium heat, warm the oil or butter. Add the leek or onion, celery, and garlic and cook gently until soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Don’t let the vegetables brown. Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes, without letting it brown. Slowly whisk in the warm broth and bring to a simmer. Add the vegetables to the pot along with a little salt and pepper. Return to a simmer, lower the heat, and cover partially. Let the soup cook until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Let the soup cool slightly and then transfer it to a blender or food processor to purée (or use an immersion blender). Process in batches to avoid splattering. Return the pureed soup to the pot, warm it up, thin with more liquid or a dairy addition, if desired, and taste for salt and pepper. Serve in warmed bowls with desired garnishes.

Image: the dabble

Recipe Copyright 2009 Vanessa Barrington

Use organic and local ingredients whenever possible

The post Ecosalon Recipes: Easy Pureed Seasonal Vegetable Soup appeared first on EcoSalon.

It’s already blustery and rainy in Northern California so it’s time to break out the cold weather recipes. Here’s a healthy, easy, customizable vegetarian or vegan minestrone that allows you to use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Beans make it a stick-to-your-ribs and healthy winter meal.

The beans can cook unattended, leaving you free for other tasks. You can cook the beans ahead and refrigerate them in their cooking liquid for up to 4 days. The soup can be finished quickly and easily on the day you plan to serve it. You can also make extra beans. (Cook a whole pound!) and use them throughout the week in salads and other dishes. To assure the “freshest” dry beans buy them from a farmer at your farmers’ market or from the bulk bins in a busy grocery store.

Serves 4

For the Beans:
1 cup dried Cannellini Beans, soaked overnight or for several hours (time allowing)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
1 to 2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped (optional)
Salt

Heat the oil in a large pot and add the onion, garlic, and celery (if using). Sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the beans of their soaking water and add them to the pot. Cover the beans with cold, filtered water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Lower the heat to a bare simmer, cover partially and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, from 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Cooking time can vary wildly depending on the age of the beans.

Add salt to taste when the beans are nearly soft.

For the Soup:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 to 6 cups bean broth, vegetable broth, water or combination
1 bay leaf
2 to 3 cups diced or chopped vegetables (can include carrots, fennel, green beans, zucchini, greens like kale or spinach, potatoes, etc.)
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Parsley pesto for serving (recipe below)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic. Sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain the previously cooked beans, reserving the broth. Measure the bean broth and add water or vegetable broth to come up to 4 to 6 cups total (depending on how many cups of vegetables you are adding and how thick you like your soup). You can always start with 4 cups of liquid and add more if you like. Add the liquid to the pot with the cooked vegetables and then add the bay leaf and a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower to a steady simmer.

Add the cut up vegetables, starting with the firmest ones first like carrots, potatoes, and fennel. Cook these until nearly soft, then add green beans, zucchini or other medium-firm vegetables. When those are nearly soft add the greens and tomatoes, or other short-cooking vegetables, along with the reserved beans. Cook until all the vegetables are tender and the flavors are blended, adding more liquid if you want, for a total cooking time of around 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the pounded parsley pesto. You’ll need a mortar and pestle, or if you prefer, you may use a food processor.

1 garlic clove
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
Olive oil to taste

Put the garlic clove in the mortar and add a pinch of salt. Pound it to a smooth paste and add the parsley little by little, pounding it down until it is finely chopped. Add the olive oil to your desired consistency. Alternatively, grind the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and add the salt and parsley. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl with a spatula. Drizzle in the olive oil while running until you have a smooth paste.

Check the soup for seasoning and serve in warmed bowls topped with a drizzle of parsley pesto and freshly grated Parmesan cheese (if desired)

Recipe Copyright 2009 Vanessa Barrington

Buy local and organic ingredients whenever possible.

Image: foodistablog

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